Lasagne

The secret to a meaty lasagne lies in the Bolognese sauce – get that right and you'll be laughing. This dish is a bit of a treat, so don't eat it too often and make sure you serve it with a lovely big green salad.

serves 10

Ingredients

• for the Bolognese sauce
• • 2 rashers of bacon, the best quality you can afford
• • 2 medium onions
• • 2 cloves of garlic
• • 2 carrots
• • 2 sticks of celery
• • olive oil
• • 2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano
• • 500g good-quality lean minced beef
• • 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes
• • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• • a small bunch of fresh basil
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• for the lasagne
• • 250g dried egg lasagne sheets
• • 1 large ripe tomato
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• for the white sauce
• • ½ a small onion
• • 500ml semi-skimmed milk
• • a sprig of fresh parsley
• • a pinch of nutmeg
• • 6 black peppercorns
• • optional: 1 bay leaf
• • 35g butter
• • 45g plain flour
• • 70g Parmesan cheese
• • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the bolognese sauce

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• Finely slice the bacon
• Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – don’t worry about technique but try and make all the veg a similar size
• Place a large saucepan on a medium to high heat

To make the bolognese sauce

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• Add 2 lugs of olive oil, your sliced bacon and the oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the veg to the pan
• Stir occasionally for around 15 minutes, or until softened and lightly coloured then stir in the minced meat and the tinned tomatoes

To make the bolognese sauce

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• Fill one of the empty tins with water and add to the pan
• Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper
• Pick the basil leaves and place in the fridge for later

To make the bolognese sauce

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• Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan
• Bring to the boil
• Turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on and slightly askew for 1 hour, stirring every now and again

To make the bolognese sauce

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• Take the lid off and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Keep an eye on the sauce as it cooks, and if you think it’s starting to dry out, add a splash of water
• Meanwhile, weigh out the ingredients for the white sauce

To cook the pasta

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• Boil some water in the kettle and pour it into a large pan, then add your lasagne sheets with a drizzle of oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3 to 4 minutes making sure they don’t stick together – cook them in batches if necessary
• Drain the sheets in a colander and carefully
• Pat them dry with some kitchen paper to absorb any excess water – leave to one side until you’re ready to build the lasagne

To make the white sauce

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• Peel and slice half an onion
• Add the onion, milk, parsley, nutmeg and black peppercorns and bay leaf (if using) to a pan on a medium heat and gently bring to the boil – keep a close eye on it as milk can boil suddenly
• Strain the milk through a sieve, discarding anything left behind

To make the white sauce

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• Melt the butter in another pan on a medium-low heat
• Mix in the flour
• Start adding the strained milk, a ladleful at a time, stirring each lot in before adding more

To make the white sauce

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• When you have a smooth white sauce, bring the whole lot to the boil then simmer for a couple of minutes
• Take off the heat and finely grate in most of the Parmesan cheese
• Mix well then season with a pinch of salt and pepper

To finish the Bolognese sauce

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• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5
• Remove the Bolognese sauce from the heat, then tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later
• Have a taste of the sauce, and season with a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it

To make the lasagne

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• Spoon a third of your Bolognese sauce into the bottom of an ovenproof dish (approximately 25cm by 35cm)
• Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets and another third of your Bolognese sauce, then spoon over a third of your white sauce
• Top with another layer of lasagne sheets

To make the lasagne

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• Spoon over the rest of the Bolognese sauce and another third of the white sauce
• Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets and top with the rest of the white sauce and finely grate over the remaining Parmesan
• Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over the small basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil

To make the lasagne

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• Cover with foil, place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes
• After that, remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden
• Serve on the table with a fresh green salad (see Simple green salad with French dressing) and let everyone help themselves